Improvement in sample cigar-boxes



J. T. EMEBIGK.

Sample Cigar Boxes. No. 156,145. Patented Oct. 20, 1874.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JACOB T. EMEBIOK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAMPLE CIGAR-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 156,145, dated October 20, 1874; application filed August 15, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB THEODORE EM- ERICK, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Sample Cigar- Box; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention, with a portion broken away to show the interior. Fig. 2 is a transverse central section of the same; and Fig. 3 is a view of a modification of the locking device.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawings denote the same parts.

The main object of my invention is to improve the construction of the sample cigarboxes in use by traveling salesmen, so that one or more cigars may be taken out for trial, and at the same time the box will always appear full; and to this end it consists in the employment of a movable tray, of the same length and width as the horizontal section of the cigar-box to which it is applied, filled with cigars, and provided with vertical projecting pieces or handles, which fit into correspondingly-formed openings sawed out of the ends of the box, the movable tray always showing a full box of cigars, while, by removing the tray, a cigar or cigars may be had for trial, all of which I will now proceed to describe.

In the accompanying drawings, a is a cigarbox, from the ends of which the openings b b, having beveled edges, are sawed or otherwise formed to receive the correspondingly-formed vertical uprights or handles 0 c of the movable tray d. The openings b I) may be varied in depth, as desired, so that the space between the bottom of the tray and the bottom of the ciganbox for the reception of cigars for trial may be varied at pleasure, the upper horizontal ends of the projections or handles 0 c being always flush with the top of the box, so that the lid may be readily closed thereon.

By this construction the movable tray may be always kept filled with cigars, presenting the appearance of a full box, and, when a cigar or cigars are desired for trial, the tray can readily be removed, and the trial cigar taken from those beneath the tray.

It will also be seen that in my construction of tray its length and width are the same as the interior length and width of the cigar-box to which it is applied, the longitudinal and transverse faces of the box forming the sides of the tray.

By this construction the tray is adapted to any ordinary cigar-box, which would not be the case if a four-sided ordinary tray were employed to fit into and rest on supports 111 the box.

The width of a cigar-box is equal to the length of the cigars contained therein, and, 1f the cigars were placed in a four-sided tray, the width of which was the length of a cigar, it would be too large to be applied to the ordinary cigar-box.

By constructing the tray without sides, and employing the upper parts of the sides of the box as sides of the tray, 1 am enabled to use my tray with ordinary cigar-boxes, which obviously would not be the case with a four-sided tray, as ordinarily made and applied to a orgar-box.

Another advantage in my construction arises from dispensing with the supports for the ordinary tray on the sides of the interior of the box, which occupy space employed by me for cigars.

The distinguishing feature of my tray is that it has no sides when removed from the cigar-box, and that the sides of the box form the sides of the tray when the former is introduced into the latter.

The inner edge of the lid is attached and hinged to the side of the box by paper or other suitable material, in the ordinary mannor.

0 is a rubber spring attached to the edge of the lid near the hinge, and also to the bottom of the box, to relieve the strain on the lid and prevent it from liTaaking ofwheu openfdi and at are same time to assist in closing the box. It is a clasp attached to the front edge of the lid, having the vertical arms 0 projecting below it, which is provided with a lip, t, at right angles to its inner face, which engages With'a catch, m, attached to the front face of the box, and inclined downwardly.

The rear end of the clasp is provided with a Vertical projecting piece or lug, k, which is driven partly through the lower face of the lid, and performs the function of an addi-' tional rivet, a single rivet being the only additional fastening of the clasp to the lid.

By this construction, the thin front face at of the box acts as a spring, allowing the clasp h to engage with its catch, and retaining it when thus engaged.

; "130 open the lid, the front springfacc n of the box is' pressed by the thumb, WlJlCllI'G- leases the clasp from the catch, and allows the box to be readily opened.

I claim as my invention- The cigar-box a, having the openings 12 b, in combination with the movable tray d, provided with the uprights 0 0, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

' JACOB THEODORE EMERIOK. Witnesses:

JoHN FUNK, J NO. A. BELL. 

